Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-19
DOWN In FLORIDA.
WITH THE SENATORIAL PARTY FROM
CHARLESTON To JACKSONVILLE
The BggS, T5wa II Florida and Is Northern Pop
latOl-FSh II Sumner, Sick Yankees IN
WIller-0angeS and Strawberries
aud Hot Weather.
NsrpF ~Cyrr1spDHfsRsS.
JACKSONVILLE. March u.

/ write this letter IN ~J3CkSOnNiilc the
leading commercial center Of Florida. Il
i the entering point OF the sihte, aud Is the
starting place for the north and south.
With 81. OOO inhabitants IN the winter and
about half that number IN the summer ii
bUStleS now during the season with south
en- life. Ii contains good stores, fine
houses, and it looks different from Charles
ton As the pictures OF death 10 IRON those
OF life. The senatorial party l. AZ the
Windsor hotel, and the scenes about Us
are those of Saratoga rather than OF a city
many hundred miles south OF New York.
This hotel has Office, carpets, billiard
rooms and wide verandas, like the great
sea side hotels hotels of the ATLANTIC coast,
and il Is crowded with wealthy northern
men and women. You hear on every side
the accent of the Yankee, and the support
Of Jacksonville Is well indicated by the
answer which a little negro boy gave to
NV question Is TO what they did here to
make a living.
He said: In de summer, sab, We lives
of de fishes and in De winter We lives of
lie sick Yankees
The sick Yankees OF Florida are number
ed by tens Of thousands, and there are
other tens Of thousands OF well Yankees
Who come south To get the glorious climate
which this State has IN the winter. To-day
il like Ohio in June. Winter underciOth-
ing is unpleaSantly warm. | write by an
open window, and Senator Sherman and
Gen. McCook have Just returned from a
ride which they took without their over
coats. In front Of NE there Is a large
park filed with orange groves, and the
yellow fruit shows out from the buShy tops
Of bright green leaves. ! noticed many
roses blooming in the gardens as /
drove about the city, and We picked
wild flowers yesterday evening AT Sa-
yannah. miles north Of here. The stores
here have their straw hats cOnspicuously
displayed and the negro children are bare
foot. The peas are in bloom and we had
delicious straw berries Tor breakfast. This
city is lined with shade trees and they are
all in green Leaf, and the plants grow most
luNuIiantly in the garden. The houses
are large and some OF them are northern IN
their STYLES OF aTchitecture. saw one cot
tage which looked rs though It must have
been built for one OF the suburban towns
If New York city, and the style OF the
storehouses is distinctively northern. They
have good storerOOms, and all kinds OF
stores carry large stocks of goods. The
groceries are especially good, and the Jew
elry stores show that they live OIL northern
money.
jacksonville is full of big hotels and
boarding houses. Ii is plainly n watering
place, and its accommodations show that
II paws To cater Ia the tastes of the wealthy.
Many of the hotels are run by noTtherne?S,
and the Windsor, which is one Of the best
m Florida, Is managed by 4 NermOnter.
The city mas street cars. II l. lighted
with gas and its water comes from an ar
teSian well. We drove out 10 this and
found the we'll made a beautiful fountain,
sending up a heavy spray which fell like
An umbrella of diamonds n a great haSln
and WAS carried from thence 10 the city IN
uipeS The water i like crystal, and II
has. when il first SpurtS upward, a stroog
,uIphur Od0r. IL tastes of sulphur too,
hut this sulphur smell and taste pass OIL,
I am told, after the water has stood for q
short time. leaving it as sweet rs that OF
the purest mountain spring.
The land OF north Florida, at least that
through which we have 20 far travelled, IS
not inviting TO northern eyes We miss The
green sod, and the sandy, scrubhy growth
which takes ITS place is no comparison TO
the blue grass Of the north. An acre OF
velyety lawn is more beautiful 10 my eyes
than all the flowers, orange groves and
pines of these tropical lands, and the
country about here, with all IFS luNuri-
apee has not the still life beauty OF the
rich blue grass regions of the north, The
lands surrounding this city are laid out
in streets and lots for a great distance.
Trees have been planted, and on paper /
doubt not the property looks very attrac-
tive. 1t is not 50 70 the eye. Ragged grass
somewhat like our northern swamp grass
grows upon it. Parts of it needs drain
age, and the color OF the grISs now, when
il should be as green as the emerald, IL oil
a hay eol0red brown. The trees, which are
scattered sparsely over it, are Of the short
leaf pine, tall and lean, with no branches
till they butst forth in an umbrella shaped
foliage at the top. They give little shade,
aud one could not be comfortable sitting
on the half sandy, i'll covered with verdure
soil beneath them. There were few gar
dens in the country about Jacksonville
through which We drove, and l saw but
few garden patches about the smaller
houses Of the city. The town has been
made by northern tourists and by its
commercial location making it the chief
shipping and stopoyer place in the State.
1t has great hopes tor the future, however,